User Presence Session System for Preventing Session Timeouts
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Solution Overview
Problem
Online users often experience session timeouts while distracted, requiring re-authentication and loss of previously entered information due to inactivity.
Innovation Solution
Implementing a user presence session (UPS) system using sensors like Bluetooth, near field communication, infrared, and cameras to continuously verify user presence, with a secure coprocessor aggregating signals and using Enhanced Privacy Identifier (EPID) for attestation, preventing unnecessary re-authentication and data loss.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If traditional session timeout mechanisms are used to maintain security, then security is improved, but user convenience deteriorates due to frequent re-authentication and data loss
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces an intermediary presence detection system that continuously monitors user presence through sensors (camera, microphone, motion detectors) and acts as a mediator between the user and the session management system. This intermediary layer allows the system to automatically extend sessions based on detected presence, eliminating the need for frequent manual re-authentication while maintaining security through passive monitoring rather than active user intervention.
Solution Approach 2:
The system implements self-service by automatically detecting user presence and extending sessions without requiring user action. The presence detection system autonomously monitors the environment, determines whether the user is still present, and automatically updates session status, freeing the user from the burden of manual re-authentication while maintaining secure session management.
2Loss of information
If session timeout periods are extended to prevent data loss, then user convenience is improved, but security deteriorates due to prolonged active sessions
Solution Approach 1:
The presence detection system serves as an intermediary that provides real-time information about user presence to the session management system. This allows the system to make informed decisions about session extension, extending sessions only when the user is actually present rather than using fixed timeout periods. This resolves the contradiction by enabling data retention during actual presence while automatically terminating sessions when absence is detected, maintaining both security and data integrity.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent transforms the static, fixed session timeout mechanism into a dynamic system that continuously adapts session duration based on real-time presence detection. The session timeout is no longer a fixed parameter but dynamically adjusts based on sensor inputs, allowing the system to extend sessions during active presence while automatically terminating them when absence is detected, thus balancing data retention needs with security requirements.
3Ease of operation
If passive presence monitoring is used to improve user experience, then user convenience is improved, but reliability deteriorates due to potential false presence detection
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges multiple presence detection methods (camera-based detection, motion sensors, microphone audio analysis) into a unified presence determination system. By combining multiple independent detection mechanisms, the system cross-validates presence information, reducing false positives that would occur with any single method. The session is extended only when multiple sensors concordantly indicate user presence, significantly improving detection reliability while maintaining the passive, convenient user experience.
Solution Approach 2:
The system implements feedback mechanisms where detection results from multiple sensors are continuously evaluated and cross-validated. The presence determination is based on feedback from various sensor inputs, and the system adjusts its confidence in presence detection based on the consistency and quality of signals from different sources. This feedback loop ensures that session extensions are granted only when presence is reliably confirmed through multiple independent verification channels.
Data Source
AI summary
According to some embodiments, a method and apparatus are provided to receive a first signal from a sensor, determine that a user is present based on the received first signal, receive a second signal from the sensor, and determine if the user is still present based on the received second signal.